Pivoted vane damper



United States Patent O ice 3,095,173 PIVOTED VANE DAMPER Hoyt K. Veber, Kellogg, Iowa, assigner to Titus Manufacturing Corporation, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed dune 6, 1969, Ser. No. 34,694 Claims. (Cl. 251-212) This invention relates to ilow control `devices adapted to control the ow 'of `a uid to a passageway. In one application, the flow control devices can be used in air ducts to control the `amount of air permitted to pass through said duc-ts.

The invention also -relates to the combination of lan air diffuser with the flow control device mounted in the neck portion thereof and to ow control devices especially adapted for mounting lin the neck of an lair dif- `luser. The invention also relates to improvements :in the mounting of pivotal vanes or plates and in mechanism for actuating the pivotal action of said vanes or plates.

Briefly, the flow control devices or dampers of the present linvention comprise :a series of adjacent, pivotable vanes or plates adapted to llie in a at plane and substantially block oil air ow through a passage when they are in this position. When used in combination with an air diluser, .the llow control devices or dampers may have `a supporting yframe including a plurality of spider arms with means at the ends of the spider arms for mounting the damper on mounting brackets provided on the inner wall of the neck of the -dituserln this position, the damper is readily accessible for adjustment to provide desired quantity of air ow through the diffuser and thence into a room. The actuating mechanism for the vanes is a hollow member movable in a direction normal to the plane ofV the vanes when the damper is in closed position. This hollow member has means which cooperates with a par-t of the vanes to cause the vanes to pivot when the hollow member :is moved.

My invention also relates to a novel means for pivotallyV mounting a vane or plate on a frame, which means Ifacilitates the ready assembly of the pivotal vanes on `the damper. In this aspect of my invention, ythe vane has on one end `a pin or `axle which is pivotally-mounted in a closed bearing, which may be a simple hole in a plate. The other end of the vane has a pin or axle pivotallymounted in .an open saddle bearing. The vane is held in the two bearings by a bias means, preferably -a spring, which urges the vane downwardly in .the open saddle Abearing and is positioned adjacent the saddle bearing. rThis spring also serves as the means for urging the vane to its home position.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a partial, top plan view of a diiuser with an embodiment of a damper of my invention mounted in the neck of the dituser. The damper is shown in the fully open position with the vanes lying parallel to the axis of the neck of the diltuser;

FIG. 2 is a partial, bottom plan view of the diluser and damper of FIG. l with the damper vanes in fully closed position, wherein the vanes lie in la plane transverse to the `axis of the neck of the diffuser. The inner deector members have been removed to facilitate illustration of the damper;

FIG. 3 is `a side elevation Vof the damper shown in FIGS. l and 2 with the damper vanes in the closed position;

FIG. 4 is a similar side elevation with the damper vanes partly open;

FIG. 5 is `a cross-sectional view taken on section S-S of-FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a segment of one of thel damper vanes illustrated in FIGS. l-5.

The diffuser with which the damper is used may be of same for `delecting air outwardly. For purpose of illustration, `a round diffuser has been shown in the drawingV although other forms may be used, such as square or oblong or the like. The diffuser shown in the drawing comprises an outwardly-Haring, outer, hollow member 10 having a cylindrical neck portion 12. The outer edge of the member 1? has a peripheral Vceiling gasket 214 of compressible material. The hollow member lll has an outwardlyaring segment 16 which is yarcuately bent :at 18 -to form a rearwardly-extending circular periphery 20 with :a `terminal edge 22.

The damper is mounted in the neck 12 and is composed of three vane pairs, e.g., pairs of butterfly vanes 24, 26 and 2S which are pivotable toward each other about adjacent parallel pivot axes for each pair. When the vane pairs 24, 26 and 28 are in the fully closed position, wherein they lie in a common plane, they substantially cover 4the cross-sectional area of the neck l12 `and thereby substantially preclude ow of air from a supply duct through .the diffuser. p

The framework of the damper is made Iup of spider arms 30, 32 and 34, whose outer ends have downwardlyf directed Vsegments 36. Each of the segments 36 has a terminal tab 38, which :is formed -by stamping out portions trom the segments 36. These tabs can be 4twisted to lock' the ydamper in the neck of the diffuser when the segments 36 are mounted in .the mounting .brackets in the neck of rthe diluser. r

The mounting brackets 46 for each of the spider arms vare spaced slightly from the inner surface of the neck` of the diluser to permit the segments 36 to be insertedy be twisted to lock the damper in the mounting brackets.

The mounting `brackets 46 are offset portions of mounting plates 42 spot-welded to the neck 12. The mounting plate 42 also has an oset segment 44 which has lan in-,

clined .upper surface with ya `detent or yshoulder 45. The offset portion 44 constitutes a means `for mounting the radial spider arms 46 of inner deector members of the 7 :diffuser -in the' outer hollow member 10. The means by applicawhich this is done are described more fully in tion Ser. No. 682164, tiled by Robert W. Titus and Francis J. Coates .on September 5, '1957, now Patent No.4

The spider arms 46 support one or more deilector niem-4 bers of similar, though smaller configuration than the outer member 10 concentrically within the hollow member 10. In the view shown in FIG. 1, these Spider arms 46 support outwardly-flaring frusto-conical deectormembers Si) and 52. The means by which these members are supported on the spider arms is also described in said application of VRobert W Titus and Francis 1.

Coates.

The spider arms 30, 32 and 34 are spot-welded on a ring 54. peripheral flange 58 is spot-welded on the other side of the ring cup-shaped member 56.

The end of the screw is a pin `66 extending through an Patented .lune r225, i963 l the tabs 38 may then A cup-shaped, hollow member V56 with a- 54. The hollow member 56 has an internally threaded nut `6@ spot-welded on the inner wall of theV opening in a hollow, cup-shaped member 70. The end of the piu 66 is deformed to form a rivet head 68. The pin 66 and rivet head 68 are suiciently loose so that the pin 66 of the screw 62 rotates in the opening of thel cupshaped member l70.

, The cup-shaped member 78 is mounted over the cupshaped member 56 and is slidable axially therealong by rotation of the screw 62. This cup-shaped member has three flange segments 72 which are divided by slots 74 in the ange. The slots 74 are of a width slightly greater than the width of upwardly-directed segments 77 of the radial supporting arms 76, which arms support the pivot- -able vanes or plates 24, 26 and 28 in the manner hereinafter described.

The outer ends of the arms 76 have upwardly-extending segments 78. The segments 77 .and 78 contain bearings ttor pivotably mounting the vanes on the damper frame. The segments 77 each having a pair of holes 80. Each hole serves as a closed bearing for pins or axles 32 of the vanes. The opposite end of the axis of rotation of the vanes is made up by pins or axles 84 rotatably supported in saddle bearings 86 in the upper ends of segments 78. The vanes are held in the saddle bearings by a coil spring 88 seated in grooves 90 in the radial arms 76. The springs 90 are attached at their ends to the vanes at a point adjacent the saddle bearings by hooking the ends 94 of the springs 88 through small apertures 92 in the vanes. The use of open saddle bearings in the segments 78 facilitates the assembly of the vanes on the framework of the damper by providing a means for readily inserting the pins or axles in an open bearing. It is much easier to assemble the vanes in this combination than in the case of a closed bearing at each end of the vane.

The lineal movement of the hollow, cup-shaped member "70 is translated into pivotal movement of the vane pairs 24, 26 and 28 through followers or riders 96 on each of the vanes. These followers or riders are integral parts of the vanes and extend downwardly therefrom. Their bottom edge is an arcuate surface which rides on the flange segments 72 of the cup-shaped member 70. As the cup-shaped member 70 is moved axially by the screw 62, the linear moving segment 72 of the cup-shaped member 70 acts on the followers or riders 96. This creates a lever arm through the followers 96 on each of the vanes to cause them to pivot about their edges and, thus, open the damper. The springs 88 hold the damper vanes in the adjusted position and their tension causes the damper to return toward the closed position when the cup-shaped member 70 is returned toward the home position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.

The damper vanes and their pins or axles 82, 84, as well as the rider or follower 96, may be made of a single stamping from a at, heavy gauge metal sheet. The stamping is made to vform the small pins or axles 82, 84 integral with the damper vanes and similarly forming the downwardly-extending riders or followers 96 from the metal sheet. A segmental view of such a damper vane is shown in FIG. 6.

The novel features of my invention reside in the pivotable vane and actuator mechanism associated therewith, the means for mounting of the damper in a diffusenthe means for mounting the pivotable vanes on a frame, the structure of the vanes, and other features of the invention Which'appear inthe foregoing speccation and the following claims. Y

The invention is hereby claimed'as follows:

1. In a ow control device, a frame, a plurality of vanes pivotably mounted on said frame, said vanes adapted to be pivoted to lie in a common plane, a bearing xedly mounted on said frame, a hollow actuator member mounted about said bearing member and slidable thereon in a direction substantially normal to said plane, a threaded shaft threaded in said bearing member, said shaft bearing against said hollow actuator member, said hollow actuator member having a bearing surface, and

4 a follower on each of said vanes riding on said bearing surface to cause said vanes to .pivot when the actuator member -is moved in a direction substantially normal to said plane by rotation of said threaded shaft.

2. In a flow control device, a frame comprising a plurality of radially extending arms, vanes pivotally mounted on said arms, said vanes adapted to be pivoted to lie in a common plane, a bearing member on said frame at the hub of said radial arms, a hollow actuator member slidable about said bearing member in a direction substantially normal to said plane, a bearing ange on said hollow actuatorY member, and a follower on each of said vanes having an arcuate edge riding on said bearing flange to cause said vanes to pivotV when the hollow actuator member is moved in a direction substantially normal to said plane.

3. In a flow control device, a frame including an arm, a pair of juxtapositioned, closed, pivot bearings at one Y end of said arm, a pair of juxtapositioned, open saddle bearings at the other end .of said arm, a pair of vanes, each vane pivotally supported in one of each of said bearings by projecting pins aligned at opposite ends of one side of each yof said vanes, said pins forming pivot axes which `are adjacent `and substantially parallel, means to cause said vanes to pivot about their respective axes, each of said vanes being made from a single stamping having a straight side with a pin projecting at each end of said side to form the pivot axes of said vanes, each of said i vanes further having a tab substantially normal to the frame of said vane, said tabs having .an arcuate edge which rides on a bearing surface of said means for pivoting said vanes, and bias means `acting on each of said vanes adjacent said saddle bearings for holding said pins in said saddle bear-ings and urging said vanes to a home position.

4. In a flow control device, a frame, pair of buttery vanes with adjacent pivot axes pivotally mounted on said frame, said vanes adapted to be swung upwardly about their pivot axes `from -a position in which they lie in a common plane, an actuator movably mounted on said frame in a direction normal to said common plane, -a bearing surface on said'actuator below said vanes when they are in said com-mon plane, a follower member depending downwardly from the underside of each vane,

`and `an arcuate `outer edge on each follower member ridlng on sa1d bearing surface to cause said vanes to pivot when said bearing surface is moved upwardly toward said common plane.

5. In a llow control device, a frame including an arm, a pair of juxtapositioned, closed, pivot bearings on one side of and at one end of said arm, a pair of juxtapositioned, Iopen saddle bearings on Isaid one side of and at the opposite end of said arm, a pair of vanes, each vane being pivotally supported in one of each of said closed and saddle bearings by projecting pins on said vanes aligned at opposite ends of one side of each of said vanes, said pins forming pivot axes which are adjacent and substantially parallel, means to cause said vanes to pivot about their respective axes, and a spring connected to said vanes and extending therebetween Iadjacent said saddle bearings and across the side of said arm opposite said one side of said arm to hold -said pins in said saddle bearings and urging said vanes to a home position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 197,226 Rodier Nov. 20, 1877 381,653 Steel Apr. 24, 1888 1,659,880 Kauffman Feb. 21, 1928 2,738,127 Howard Mar. 13, 1956 2,742,065- Seewer Apr. 17, :1956 2,783,702 ODay Mar. 5, 1957 2,815,173 Drapeau Dec. 3, 1957 2,837,991 IDe Roo June 10, y1958 3,009,473 Hennen Nov. 2l, 1961 

2. IN A FLOW CONTROL DEVICE, A FRAME COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY EXTENDING ARMS, VANES PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID ARMS, SAID VANES ADAPTED TO BE PIVOTED TO LIE IN A COMMON PLANE, A BEARING MEMBER ON SAID FRAME AT THE HUB OF SAID RADIAL ARMS, A HOLLOW ACTUATOR MEMBER SLIDABLE ABOUT SAID BEARING MEMBER IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID PLANE, A BEARING FLANGE ON SAID HOLLOW ACTUATOR MEMBER, AND A FOLLOWER ON EACH OF SAID VANES HAVING AN ARCUATE EDGE RIDING ON SAID BEARING FLANGE TO CAUSE SAID VANES TO PIVOT WHEN THE HOLLOW ACTUATOR MEMBER IS MOVED IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID PLANE. 